(Finnish version published on the 3rd of April)
Hi,
I arrived in Nellim the day before the maintenance troops arrived in the locality, so what could be better than to take a shower at a local hotel and sit down in the cozy lobby with an Irish coffee to wait for the dinner buffet to be served. Although the wait seemed hopelessly long, after I had sent the pictures to the server and transcribed the article text, I was already able to attack the salad table, from where to the hot dishes and smoothed out with dessert. I don’t remember ever being so full, not even at Christmas.
From the hotel, with a grateful mind I battled my way in twilight near the Paatsjoki bridge, where I set up a tent. The morning dawned wonderfully sunny and with a couple of whooper swans gliding along the opposite bank of the river. When, after skiing northwards a few kilometers, I answered my
phone, I couldn’t be happier at that moment, because the pick up for the rest days was a quarter of an hour away. Antti Kamppila, my friend and hiking buddy from years ago, had taken his brother Erkki with him, and now it was a pleasure to meet them far from home on the border east of Inari. After the reunion toast and sandwiches, we drove to the rental cottage, where I would recover and service two days before the last leg. Two and a half days went by, constantly throbbing with a full belly, snatching Rennie. Going to the sauna, eating, going to the store, maintenance, having coffee with the pastries from the home crowds and sleeping. I was able to arrange the skis for lubrication for Johannes Visuri at Ivalo’s Sportia. They turned out to be good, and when the change of ski skins was successful, I was so pleased with the service I received, I headed to the car and to the lunch buffet with the men.
I managed to get an appointment with a physiotherapist from Ivalo and an hour of massage was focused on the legs, hip flexors, buttocks and shoulders. I would have liked to have my hands covered by the treatment, but you can’t fit everything in an hour. I’ve been trying along the way to make time for probably five masseurs during the rest days, but you’d have to know your course for two weeks beforehand, which on this adventure hasn’t been successful.
As a result of our daily visit to the store, we had so much food in the fridge and stomachs that the only correct position after eating was horizontal. Surprisingly digestion worked in its own familiar rhythm, and therefore there were no problems in the forest.
One thing that had weighed heavily on my mind on Salla’s rest day, was resolved at that time. Namely, the 65-day duration of the trip I presented to my employer, Siemens Energy, and in particular its inadequacy. Of course, I had arranged that duration according to my best knowledge at the time, but Finland’s midwinter, topography, load system and my own optimism added their own time factor, and by the middle of the trip at the latest, I knew that the days would not be enough. So, from the Sallatunturi cottage, I approached my supervisor Markku Liljelund by e-mail and after just a few moments I received such a great answer that I will never forget it. Border ski was thus allowed to stretch to that 90-day period. This information has been one of my most significant incentives in the rest of the frosts,
in blizzards and endless hilltops. Thank you Siemens Energy management and colleagues!
Nellim’s rest days were crowned with everyday sauna, a buffet, bloke soup and the friendship of the Ostrobothnian men. Thank you Antti and Erkki for the great setting and your time! Thanks also to the people at home, grandma, Emilia and Olivia for the packaging and pastries. Saku’s socket and wrench sets also helped with the maintenance, thanks again.
The journey continues to the final stage in Nuorgam.
-Jukka
